Shipping container



Jan. 8, 1957 MARIA A. KALlNOWSKl NOW BY CHANGE OF NAME MARIE AMBROSE SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed March 4, 1954 ll\' ,I2 /4 a 2 a FIG. I.

INVENTOR United States Patent "ice smrrnwc Cowman Maria A. Kalinowski,.Detroit,.Michig'now by change of name Marie Ambrose Application MarehX4y-1954; SeriahNo. 414,151 3Claims. (Cl. 217 36);

This invention relates to an improved shipping container and more particularly, to an improved shipping container of the type especially adapted for use in the safe shipment or mailing of live insects, including in particular, poisonous or stinginginsects such, for example, as scorpions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved shipping container for safely shipping or mailing such live insects or the like, which is simple in design, sturdy in construction though light in weight, economical of manufacture, and reliable and efficient in operation.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved shipping container including an outer frame adapted to be engaged by those who must handle the container during the shipping or mailing thereof, and an inner container secured to the outerframe and maintained in centered relation therein so that those who must handle the container during the shipment or mailing thereof, may freely handle the outer frame without risk of coming in contact with scorpions or the like received in the inner container.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved shipping container of the above type in which live insects and the like will have an unrestricted supply of air throughout shipments of any desired length.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a shipping container constructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1, taken substantially along the line 2;2 thereof;

Figure 3 is a perspective, developed, view of the inner container or receptacle;

Figure 4 is a broken enlarged sectional view showing one of the corners of the shipping container of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 2, taken substantially along the line 5-5 thereof; and,

Figure 6 is a broken sectional view showing the reinforcement of the top edge of the end wall of the inner container.

Referring to the drawing, the improved shipping container of the present invention comprises a rectangular main frame 1 fabricated of side members 7 and 8 and end members 9 and 10. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, these members 7, 8, 9 and 10 are formed of plywood. A pair of outer auxiliary frames 17, which are rectangular in shape, are secured to the inner sides of the end frame members 9 and 10 by a plurality of staples 18. These outer auxiliary frames 17 are each formed of a single wire and are twisted at each of the corners of the auxiliary frame to define loops 3 which extend inwardly of the main frame 1 in a generally diagonal direction. l

The receptacle, or inner container, is generally indicated' by" the" reference character 2: and in th'e preferred embodiment illustrated, isformed of a single piece of metal screen 16, the shape of which, prior to fabrication of the receptacle 2,'is generally illustrated in Figure 3. Within:-the receptacle 2 are apair of inner auxiliary frames 15, each of which is rectangular in shape and formed of a single wire twisted at each of the corners of the inner auxiliary. frame 15 to provide aloop 4; These" inner auxiliary frames'llfi are disposed within the receptacle 2* at opposite ends thereof in spaced parallel relation and with'the loops 4 extending outwardly through the 'receptacle 2 and outwardly therefrom in a' generally diagonal direction. During the fabrication of the-receptacle 2, the inner auxiliary frames 15 are put in place prior to folding the sides of the screen material 16 upwardly from the position illustrated in Figure 3, to the positions there illustrated by the broken lines 24. The adjacent edges of the sides and ends, after being folded upwardly in the directions indicated by the reference characters 23, may be suitably secured as by soldering, indicated at 26 in Figure 5.

The receptacle 2 is securely mounted within the main frame it in centered relation therewith by eight tie elements 5, each of which ties one of the loops 4 of the inner auxiliary frames 15 to the adjacent of the loops 3 of the outer auxiliary frames 17. These tie elements in the preferred embodiment illustrated are short lengths of wire tied to have equal effective lengths and securely hold the receptacle 2 in centered relation in the main frame 1.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the top 20 of the receptacle 2 is integrally formed with one of the sides of the receptacle and serves as a cover movable to and from the closed position illustrated. At its free or forward edge, the top Zll is supported in its closed position, on a reinforcement member 21 which is mounted on the upper edge of the front side of the receptacle 2. The upper edges of the ends of the receptacle 2 are reinforced by folding a marginal portion of the screen 16 over the frame 15 and by thin strips 27 of wood or other suitable material secured to the screen 16 in any suitable way, as by the staples 28 illustrated in Figure 6. The reinforcing member 21, at the top of the front side of the receptacle 2, which in the preferred embodiment illustrated is a thin strip of wood, supports the forward or free edge of the top 20 through a longitudinally extending reinforcing strip 12 which is secured to the forward marginal edge of the top 20.

For fastening the top in the closed position illustrated, the reinforcing member 12 mounted on the top 20, carries a latch loop 11 adapted to extend downwardly over the outer surface of the reinforcing strip 21 and through a keeper loop 13 mounted on the reinforcing strip 21. The latch loop 11 may be held against withdrawal from the keeper loop 13 by a locking pin 14-.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A shipping container comprising a rectangular main frame, a pair of outer rectangular auxiliary frames mounted on said main frame at opposite ends thereof in spaced parallel relation, each of said auxiliary frames being formed of a single wire twisted at each of the four corners of said auxiliary frame to define a loop projecting generally diagonally inwardly of said main frame, a rectangular receptacle formed of screen and substantially smaller in all dimensions than and disposed within said main frame, a pair of inner rectangular auxiliary frames carried by said receptacle at opposite ends thereof in spaced parallel relation, each of said inner auxiliary Patented Jane 8-; 11951 frames being formed of a single wire twisted at each of the four corners of the inner auxiliary frames to define a loop projecting outwardly from said receptacle toward the adjacent of said loops defined by said outer auxiliary frames, and eight tie elements, each of which ties one of the loops defined by said outer auxiliary frames to the adjacent of the loops defined by said inner auxiliary frames, said tie elements being of substantially equal length so that said receptacle is substantially centered in said main frame, said receptacle having a top mounted for movement to and from a closed position to provide access to the interior of said receptacle.

2. A shipping container as defined in claim 1, wherein said inner auxiliary frames are disposed primarily within said receptacle except for said twisted loops defined thereby which project outwardly from the corners of said receptacle.

3. A shipping container as defined in claim 1, wherein said tie elements have a fixed effective length so that said receptacle is securely held in centered relation to said main frame at all times.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,127 Corner Sept. 27, 1904 956,810 Lamasney et a1 May 3, 1910 983,099 Warne-Browne Jan. 31, 1911 1,021,150 Homer Mar. 26, 1912 1,229,688 Wallace June 12, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS 698,758 France Nov. 29, 1930 

